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Tuesday, December 4, 2007

So You Want To Be A College Head Coach?

Georgia Tech The Yellow Jackets fired Chan Gailey after 6 seasons in Atlanta. Chan had many accolades including a .500 or better finish each year in conference play, a win over at least 1 ranked opponent each year, and an ACC Championship Game appearance in 2006. But Gailey had some minuses including losing that ACCCG game when favored, a habit of a no-name bowl game, never finishing the season in the Top 25, and the biggest of all was 0-6 against the hated Georgia Bulldogs.

Some will say Georgia Tech is stupid for firing a coach who never had a losing season and went to 6 straight bowl games. Others will point to the facts above and show you a program stuck in neutral on a Kansas highway.

The Yellow Jackets are looking for an anti-Chan they have said; they want an energetic, media friendly coach who can obviously win more.

Leading Candidates:Will Muschamp – Auburn DCWhy Muschamp? Up and coming coordinator, who shows intensity and can recruitWhy not Muschamp? No head coaching experience and played for UGA

Chris Hatcher – Ga. Southern HCWhy Hatcher? Young, up and coming head coach who has won at every level; good ties to state of Georgia.Why not Hatcher? Just 1 year at an FCS school as a head coach

Rick Neuheisal – Baltimore Ravens OCWhy Neuheisal? Had success at two programs in BCS conferencesWhy not Neuhesial? Trouble seems to follow up wherever he goes. Has the Ravens offense done anything this year or the QBs (Neuhesial was Baltimore QB coach previously).Arkansas Razorbacks Houston Nutt resigned from the Razorbacks just one year removed from an SEC West title. Nutt had a tumultuous off-season that led to the transfer of prep phenom Mitch Mustain to USC and the cell phone records of the coach perused. He was not out of a job for long as Ole Miss snatched him up over night.

I think Arkansas is stretching if they think they can find someone who can have significant success above Nutt’s. Razorback fans were very divided over Nutt and his resignation to take the Ole Miss job signals to me that he was fed up with the expectations and controversy surrounding him on and off the football field.

Leading Candidates:Tommy Tubberville – Auburn HCWhy Tubberville? Tubberville is from the state and may be growing tired of Bobby Lowder and the Auburn boosters.Why not Tubberville? Arkansas is a step down from Auburn and would be tougher to win at.Butch Davis – North Carolina HCWhy Davis? Davis’s wife is from Arkansas and he has ties to Univ. of Arkansas.Why not Davis? He has been at Carolina just one year and just got a big raise despite a 4-8 year.

Ron English - Michigan DCWhy English - DC at a big time program who can recruitWhy not English - Have you seen Michigan's D this year?

Ole MissThe Rebels fired Ed Orgeron after a 0-8 SEC season, the first time Ole Miss had not won an SEC game in their history. They moved quickly to hire Houston Nutt after he resigned from Arkansas. A new rivalry has begun in the SEC West.

DukeDuke fired Ted Roof after a 1-win season and a 0 win season in ACC play. Duke has made mention of making more of a commitment to football, but they have a long way to go. Although I am not sure how much better a coach can do there, you cannot have 0 and 1 win seasons if you are in a BCS Conference.

Other Coaching News:Nebraska hired LSU DC Bo Pellini. Pellini was a Nebraska DC and served as interim coach before Bill Callahan was hired. It was reported Pellini told Tom Osborne that if Nebraska had hired him before then they wouldn’t be in this mess now.

Clemson’s Tommy Bowden was linked to the Arkansas job, but re upped with Clemson (for more money of course).

Rumors have come out of Lexington that Rich Brooks may retire at season’s end. I think he sticks it out for another year.